The Journal of the Britain Zimbabwe Society review of 'Whatever Happened to Rick Astley?'

 Reproduced from the Zimbabwe Review, The Journal of the Britain Zimbabwe Society, Issue 23/3 September 2023. ISSN 1362-3168

Review

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RICK ASTLEY?

Pat Brickhill reviews a collection of short stories by Bryony Rheam

Bryony Rheam’s latest book is a collection of short stories, each one is linked in some way to Zimbabwe.

Most are set in various suburbs of Bulawayo, where Bryony lives with her family. A handful are set in the UK, and The Piano Tuner, a touching story of prejudice and compassion, is set in Zambia.The subject of each story varies from potholes, to disappearing electricity, to the physical and human neglect of Zimbabwe, but each describes a different facet of loss. 

'The beauty of the ordinary'

I would agree with fellow Zimbabwean writer Siphiwe Ndlovu, who writes on the back cover that Bryony portrays loss 'of identity, memory, country or a loved one' and 'capture(s) the beauty of the ordinary'. 

The writer has a talent for vividly painting with words the world she is writing about. We are drawn into a realm of reflection that arises with the passage of time as we grow older: reliving childhood, or the excitement of joining the world of adults, combined with the loneliness that can come with old age. 

These themes are developed in The Queue and These I have Loved, while the consequences of bad life choices are explored in Dignum et Justum est. 

Bonding

Bryony Rheam has a wonderful talent for bonding the reader with the story, tackling emotions that are familiar, looking at belonging, the loss of country, of husband, or merely the passage of time. Each story left me with a strong sense of the character struggling against the vagaries of life and perhaps attempting to reach a point of resolution or even redemption. 

Castles in the Air was a beautiful descriptive story blending the compassion of motherhood with the magic of childhood, as the mother distracts from a power cut by taking her daughter on a late afternoon walk, enthusiastically joining in her child’s imaginary games. My least favourite story was The Colonel Comes By, which describes the stark, desperate struggle of a single mother, as the ending left this reader rather confused. 

The Big Trip, The Young Ones and Last Drink at the Bar explore the familiar divide that opens with choices, or the lack of them, by those who leave their country and those who remain – as each attempts to justify or acknowledge where they live. Moving On is a touching story of coming to terms with the hidden trauma of loss that surfaces when memory and reality merge. 

Bryony gives a glimpse of her skill at humour with Christmas. The Fountain of Lethe uncovers a memory from childhood perhaps best left buried.

Finally, the title story is a wonderful wistful reflection of a mother inspired by remembering a song from her youth in Whatever Happened to Rick Astley?. 

I found this anthology both touching and entertaining. To some these stories will provoke nostalgia, for many people have endured the trauma of leaving the country of their birth – often leaving loved ones behind. Some tales will leave the reader with a familiar longing and feeling of sadness but every narrative is bursting with warmth and empathy. This anthology provides a poignant glimpse into the lives of strangers who are nevertheless familiar, to all who are fortunate enough to be able read it.

I thoroughly recommend it. 

 Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? by Bryony Rheam

Published by amaBooks, Zimbabwe/ Parthian Books, UK

ISBN 9781779310958/ 9781914595141

224 pages, 2023

Pat Brickhill is a freelance writer and BZS secretary.

Whatever Happened to Rick Astley? is available in the UK through Parthian and all good bookshops and online outlets, in North America through the African Books Collective, and in Zimbabwe through the Orange Elephant in Bulawayo and Bindu Books in Harare.